Posts Tagged ‘Petty criminals’

You young librarians may not know this yet but we older ones do. People almost always assume the best about librarians. This follows on our image about which we often complain– but it does have benefits. I think only nurses, maybe, have it as good as we do.

I learned years ago, that when you are trying to convince a potential, pet-hating landlord to rent to you and your two cats, nothing opens doors faster, literally and figuratively, than the words, “I am a librarian”, particularly if you are a woman teetering on the edge of middle age. We ooze respectability. We really do. Messy reality simply doesn’t enter into it at all.

Nobody knows the troubles I've seen! Nobody knows my sorrows.

Even knowing this as I do, I was surprised to find out a couple of days ago that our image works for us, even when we get caught embarking on a life of crime.

I had discovered that my driver’s license was missing and had spent the afternoon retracing my steps in pursuit of it. It was not to be found. I finally gave it up for the day and headed home. It was rush hour and, as I watched the usual running of red lights, speeding, etc., it occured to me that I was going to have to be very careful. I had never been pulled over for a traffic violation but there is always a first time. It would not help things, if I couldn’t produce a license.

I turned into my neighborhood and, a block and a half from home on a very quiet street, I was stunned to see flashing blue lights in my rearview mirror. Shaking my head in disbelief, I pulled over, uncertain whether to laugh or cry. A very pleasant officer came up and told me that I had not come to a “complete and full stop” at the stop sign. I handed over my registration and insurance and then, with a sinking heart, ‘fessed up to my lost license. He took down my information and, to my surprise, asked me where I worked and what I did. He then asked for a phone number at the library.

He returned to his squad car and was gone for what seemed like forever. He apparently verified everything and, to my amazement, came back and handed me two warnings. One for running the stop sign and one for not having a license. I could not believe my eyes. I suppose it is possible that I was born under a fortunate star. It is also possible that the officer was motivated by sympathy for my plight and went beyond the call of duty in showing mercy. But I am convinced that, once again, the magic of being a librarian saved me; if not from the big house, at least from having to pay fines, and deal with points on my license (or whatever happens in Alabama, when you are a traffic scofflaw).

Needless to say, I have been thoroughly rehabilitated and will never, ever fail to come to a full and complete stop again.